The man who allegedly fired the RPG on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May 2022 has been arrested from UP, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Wednesday.
Deepak Ranga, who was absconding since the attack, was held from Gorakhpur this morning, an official said.
A close associate of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa and Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, Ranga, apart from his involvement in the RPG attack, has been involved in a number of other violent terrorist and criminal offences, including killings.
He has been actively receiving terror funds and logistical support from Rinda and Landa.
The NIA had registered the case suo moto on September 20, 2022 after it emerged that that terrorist outfits and terror elements based abroad were operating in tandem with leaders and members of organised criminal gangs operating in northern States of the country to commit targeted killings and violent criminal acts.
It had also emerged that the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was also engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs etc across border through a widespread inter-state network of gun runners, illegal arms and ammunition manufacturers & suppliers and explosive traffickers.
"Since the registration of three criminal cases against the above terror-gangster-drug smuggler network, the NIA has already arrested 19 leaders/members of various organised criminal gangs, 2 arms suppliers and 1 big financier connected with the network under UAPA. Canada-based Arsh Dalla has been designated as an 'individual terrorist' by the MHA on January 9, 2023," said the official.
The official said that they were making efforts to dismantle the terror-gangster-smuggler nexus and infrastructure and the drive would be intensified in the near future.